Patuha with Lynn was very helpful. Simplified how we teach inquiry; what an inquiry looks like at our syndicate level. Built on our previous session with her around “Thinking”.
Love the venue and socialising together.

5/4
Today was our first time introducing the 5 servants. The chn only came up with 3; how, why and where. Even tho we use what, where when and who almost every day in shared writing!
3/5; 7 Servants;
Today I introduced our new cards of the 7 servants. We used them at news time to engender questions.and again at written language. The children coming up with 3 servants that they would use in planning their writing. The successful writers were rewarded by having their writing shown and the child reading their story explaining why Their writing had been chosen. Reinforcing how using the 7 servants helped improve the interest level helping chn to think of more ways to add interesting detail.
I need to make a set of smaller cards to make them more easily interchangeable. Also more user friendly fopr small group work and with individuals.
7 June;
Hurray; I am at last back in my wonderful wiki!
Last week I used white hat thinking for the first time and we made a bubble map of the facts.
All chn have helped to construct a flow chart around the sequence of events around our trip to Lake Rotokare. It is now up on the wall.
Initial plan. What am I going to do? Develop? Strengthen? Why?

Achievement Target: What outcomes am I aiming to achieve? What outcomes do I want my students to achieve?
  1. Students to learn about our key competencies, in particular; “Managing self”. That this is a desirable attribute to achieve and why.
2. Students to understand what managing self means, what it looks like, what it feels like etc.
Reflective questions
Post reflections here
Dates
Why am I focusing on this?
Managing self-underpins all learning and is the major focus for children new to school.
I would like the students to understand that they have responsibility for how our classroom runs and how all our students learning is part of our responsibility.
1 Aug
What level are my students presently at? How do I know?
Some students are able to manage themselves well, however some of our new children have not yet learned the routines. Most children do not yet understand that their behavior affects others learning!
There is a group of students displaying off task behavior. (names deleted)

What barriers to learning need to be overcome? What resources will I need?
The way that during less formal lessons, i.e. music, choosing times when students are expected to choose an activity when a learning task has been completed. These few students tend to gravitate towards each other and disrupt lessons.
An incentive to want to be supportive. Our “Thinking Mountain” and magnetic photos of each student

Other observations, reflections or ideas to try
“Discovery” sessions when our main teaching focus is about the key competencies. The behavior or key comp focus for each session will be discussed at the beginning of the session

What is my plan for doing this? What strategies will I try? How will I change my practice?
Reflective Questions
Post reflections here
Dates
What new teaching strategies & tools will I use?
Managing self will be co-constructed with the class. These ideas will be displayed and added to as we progress along our journey.
Learning how to make good choices will be our main focus.

What are the key steps for implementing my inquiry in the classroom?
Understanding what making good choices means.
Have feedback after each learning session about who has made good choice and why we think so!


Catch them doing this and take a photo to display.
Make our thinking mountain an exciting and worthwhile visual example of students who can manage themselves.

What methods & ICTs will I use to track & record student change/achievement and how often?
I am just keeping a record of each time a student makes it to the top. A Polly Pocket Award is given with the behaviors displayed that have earned the rewards. These will all focus on the key comps.

Other observations, reflections or ideas to try
In the past I have always believed a credit given for appropriate behavior can never be taken away. However today I was so disappointed with G for his treatment of the schools guinea pigs that he was moved to the bottom of the mountain. He cried! (He had almost made it to the top. He was in the snow line! But will this be the end of his inappropriate treatment of animals?
22 August